Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the - Solar System ...

The major new sample-return technology needed will be the MAV. While this launch system
will be based on existing solid rocket motor designs, major development will be needed in thermal
control, autonomous launch operations, and ascent and guidance under martian conditions. It is essential
that these elements receive major investments during the coming decade in order to assure that they will
reach the necessary maturity to be used by the end of the coming decade or early in the next.
The second major technology development that will require attention is the tracking, rendezvous,
and capture of the OS. An initial demonstration of this technology has been preformed by the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Orbital Express mission, which performed detection and
rendezvous in Earth orbit under similar conditions. The MSR capture-basket concept has been
demonstrated on zero-g aircraft flights. However, significant technology development will still be
required to develop this system for application at Mars.
The third technology element development is the planetary protection component of MSR to
ensure that the back contamination (contamination of Earth by martian materials) requirements are met.
This system will require isolating the Mars sample cache completely and reliably throughout the entry,
retrieval, and transport process. This work will require the development and testing of the technology
elements, and the development of methods and procedures to verify the required level of cleanliness in
flight.
Finally, the definition and architecture development of the Mars return sample-handling facility
needs to be accomplished in the coming decade. Significant issues must be resolved and requirements
defined regarding the methods, procedures, and equipment that can verify the required level of isolation
and planetary protection and sample characterization.
Mars Geophysical Network
New Frontiers Missions
A high priority Mars science goals can be addressed by a New Frontiers-class geophysical
network. The prioritized science objectives for a Mars Geophysical Network mission are as follows:
1. Measure crustal structure and thickness, and core size, density, and structure, and
investigate mantle compositional structure and phase transitions.
2. Characterize the local meteorology and provide ground truth for orbital climate
measurements.
A study of the Mars Geophysical Network was performed at the committee’s request
(Appendices D and G). Two identical free-flying vehicles would be launched on a single Atlas V 401
independently targeted for Mars entry 7 days apart, and land at sites geographically distributed to meet
the science objectives. Each node of the network will carry a three-axis very broad band seismometer
with a shield and a X-band transponder, an atmospheric package with pressure sensor, thermistors, and
hotwire anemometer, a deployment arm, descent and post-landing cameras, and a radio science package.
The science payload would have a 1 martian year nominal mission with continuous operation.
This instrumentation would allow the determination of crustal and lithosphere structure by crosscorrelation
of the atmospherically induced seismic noise and would locate the seismic sources from joint
travel times and azimuth determinations. No major new technologies are required. The selected entry,
descent, and landing architecture for this study employs a powered descent lander with heritage from
previous Mars missions. Key technology development for the seismometer has been conducted over the
past two decades, culminating in a TRL 5–6 instrument developed for the ESA ExoMars mission.
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